Clan Rise: Starting as a Grandfather

Chapter 972: Chapter 686: Ascension Ceremony (Part 2)

“I know!” Chen Buyu seemed to have grasped something in his mind, but for a moment he didn’t know what it was.

Ma Yan continued to explain, “The current Emperor is named Yang Chengye, who is precisely the nephew of our young master. Hehe, there are four masters in the Yang family, and our young master ranks fourth, known as Fourth Master Yang!”

“The current Emperor is the eldest grandson of the main branch of the Yang family, which makes him the nephew of our young master!”

Chen Buyu widened his eyes, “So the young master and the current Emperor are family?”

“Hmm!” Ma Yan nodded affirmatively.

Chen Buyu suddenly realized, “So that’s how it is, so that’s how it is!”

This explains why Yang Zhao hasn’t been conferred any titles. Yang Zhao is of royal blood and is the Emperor’s uncle, so naturally, there is no need to be given a title.

Even if there is a title, it should be the rank of a prince.

After a moment of shock, Chen Buyu finally came to his senses, “Then who are you all?”

“We were originally servants and guards of the Yang family. My grandfather used to be the stableman for Old Marquis!” Ma Yan said with pride.

Ma Yan felt a sense of pride rather than inferiority about his grandfather raising horses for the Yang family and himself becoming a servant for the Yang family.

First of all, they are no longer servants of the Yang family. After the Yang family moved to Star Moon Island, all servitude roles were abolished, converting them into hired labor.

Moreover, on Star Moon Island, those who used to be servants of the Yang family are considered superior, at least in status above the common folk because they are also considered part of the Yang family, having closer ties to the Yang family.

Secondly, they do not feel that serving the Yang family is a bad thing. It is based on comparison, and compared to servants of other families, they are undeniably blessed, and the Yang family has many benefits for former servants, treating them equally.

Among the servants of the Yang family, those with the highest status are Ding Qiu, Qingxia, and Red Cloud, with Qingxia and Red Cloud being somewhat different. They have always been beside Yu Qingyi and are considered disciples of Yu Qingyi, not servants.

But Ding Qiu is a true servant, yet nowadays Ding Qiu holds a very high status in the Yang family, in charge of managing all the guards of the Yang family, deeply trusted and respected by Yang Zhenshan.

Ding Qiu serves as an example before all the servants in the Yang family.

Besides Ding Qiu, the Yang family has many servants of notable status, such as Wu Da beside Yang Mingcheng, Wu Er beside Yang Mingzhi, Ding Cheng beside Yang Minghao, and those assistants around the third generation of the Yang family, and so on.

These people usually do not show off, but they are not ordinary individuals.

Wu Da, Wu Er, and Ding Cheng were all servants originally bought by the Yang family, purchased when Yang Zhenshan was still in Yinghe Castle, meaning that they have been part of the Yang family for nearly forty years.

Now, these three portray the role of stewards beside the Yang Mingcheng brothers, and their cultivation and strength are not low; they have all become Innate Martial Artists.

The most unfathomable aspect of the Yang family is these early servants who joined the Yang family.

Wu Da and Wu Er’s father is Wu Hai, the first Grand Steward of the Yang family. Although Wu Hai has passed away, Old Wu’s family has completely integrated into the Yang family.

The Wu family and the Ding family are both originally servants of the Yang family, yet their current strength is not inferior to those affiliated families.

Old Wu’s family has two Innate Martial Artists, and the Ding family also has two, namely Ding Qiu and Ding Cheng.

In contrast, families like Luo Shang’s Luo family and the Zhen family still do not have any Innate Martial Artists.

Similarly, Ma Yan’s grandfather is Ma San, originally a stableman for the Yang family. Unfortunately, the Ma family did not achieve much in cultivation; Ma San was not a Martial Artist; his two sons also showed mediocre performance in cultivation. But in Ma Yan’s generation, many talented individuals emerged from the old Ma family.

Ma Yan becoming an assistant to Yang Mingzhao proves that Ma Yan is a promising talent.

“Old Marquis!” Chen Buyu was unfamiliar with the Yang family and lacked understanding of Marquis Jing’an Mansion.

Ma Yan’s eyes flickered as he said, “Let’s not pay respects to the eldest young master yet; let’s first go to Marquis Jing’an Mansion. We might manage to see Old Marquis!”

With that, he shifted direction and headed towards Marquis Jing’an Mansion.

He didn’t know if Yang Zhenshan was in the Capital City or not, but that didn’t stop him from trying his luck.

To him, meeting Yang Zhenshan would be a rare fortune.

In the past, he used to see Yang Zhenshan frequently when he followed Yang Mingzhao. However, these years, Yang Mingzhao has been in Bashu, so he hadn’t seen Yang Zhenshan since.

“Old Marquis is our young master’s father. Oh, and your master Lord Wu is the younger brother of the old lady, so you are considered the nephew of Old Marquis!” Ma Yan explained.

Chen Buyu blinked, “So you mean Old Marquis is also my uncle!”

“Thinking like that is not wrong!” Ma Yan said.

Chen Buyu found the world pretty magical, feeling that he suddenly had many older relatives.

“Does my master have any other senior brothers?”

Ma Yan replied, “Indeed, many. Lord Wu was originally a disciple of the Sky Blue Sword Sect, and later followed the old lady joining the Yang family, becoming the guard of the Yang family!”

“Back then, many disciples of the Sky Blue Sword Sect joined the Yang family, but now most have aged or passed away; very few remain!”

“You also have a senior uncle named Wu Zhan, who is an Innate Martial Artist.”

Chen Buyu paused for a bit, then asked, “So am I also a disciple of the Sky Blue Sword Sect?”

Ma Yan shook his head, “No, joining the Yang family is tantamount to severing ties with the Sky Blue Sword Sect. Although the bond remains, there’s no affiliation status wise. You are merely a disciple of Lord Wu, not of the Sky Blue Sword Sect!”

While talking, the two arrived at the entrance of Marquis Jing’an Mansion.

At this time, Marquis Jing’an Mansion had become magnificent once more. Six vermilion gates were tightly shut, with eight soldiers standing guard before them.

The back palace of the Imperial City remained a desolate wasteland, so the Empress and Crown Prince of Da’an and others resided in this Marquis Jing’an Mansion.

“Halt, who goes there?”

Ma Yan and Chen Buyu were just approaching when they were abruptly stopped by the guards at the entrance.

Ma Yan was unperturbed, stepping forward to present his badge to the guarding soldier, “Ma Yan of the Yang family’s steward hall returns to the mansion, which master is in charge inside?”

The so-called Yang family steward hall is the place responsible for managing the attendants and maids within the Yang family. Although the Yang family had converted the servitude roles into employment, they still managed them under the traditional system.

They also have rank divisions, with assistants, maids, and matrons divided into three levels, and the stewards are also divided into three levels.

For instance, Qingxia and Red Cloud are first-level stewards, known as Grand Stewards.

Similarly, Wu Da and Wu Er are second-level stewards, known as Senior Stewards.

Despite being young, Ma Yan is a Senior Steward of the Yang family because he follows Fourth Master Yang Yang Mingzhao, serving as the household steward beside Yang Mingzhao.

In the past on Star Moon Island, others would respectfully address Ma Yan as Master Ma.